NBC/Today: Teens enter vocational school, come out with jobs, no debt

[JDPriestly]

2. But will these young people be able to adjust as the labor market changes with increasing

automation?

Higher education improves your ability to think critically and therefore your ability to learn new things.

The problem now is that so many young people have to choose whether to learn the practical skills they master in a technical school or the intellectual skills they learn in a university. We should offer all children, especially in junior high and high school, the opportunity to learn both.

A job now or the ability to find your way in the challenging world of the future? That should not be the choice.

Practical skills lose their market value as technology changes the job market. That's why I am a bit skeptical about this article.

I think that some liberal arts education is essential for everyone. I also think that some training in practical skills is essential. Kids should not specialize too soon. All kids need to learn how to fix things and how to make things.